Pastor asks: Is freedom really free?
By LYNDON DECKER
Pastor, First Southern Baptist Church
We have just passed through the Fourth of July holiday celebrating our independence, liberty, and freedom. With all of the celebrating we trust that we have not forgotten how fragile our freedom is. We have had sufficient warnings and should be made aware of how easily we could lose the liberties we have.
I recently read the statistics of the American lives that have been lost fighting not only for our freedom but also the freedom of other peoples in the world. I would like to share them with you.
"So we will never forget the great cost of liberty. We freely enjoy our liberty, but just because it is free to us does not mean it came to us at no cost.
"In the Revolutionary War 33,000 soldiers died; in the War of 1812 7,000 soldiers died; in the Mexican War 13,000 perished; during the Civil War 980,000 men died; in the Spanish-American War 4,000 died; in World War I 320,000 U.S. soldiers gave their lives; in World War II 1,078,000 died; in the Korean War 157,000 soldiers perished; during the Vietnam War 111,000 of our men died; in the Gulf War there were 700; and in the war in Iraq there have been more than 2,500 deaths.
]A total of these figures reveals that there have been more than 2,700,000 U.S. soldiers who have died during the past two centuries fighting for our country's freedom and liberty."
I share this to remind us of the cost of the privileges that we enjoy and that we will more grateful for them. There is no way that a dollar amount can be placed on these losses.
All of the above is the cost of our political freedom. What about our spiritual freedom which is ours at no cost to us.
But it cost God's perfect Son who had never sinned to become sin for us that we might have freedom from the enslavement from sin. There was no way we could pay for our penalty but Christ voluntarily did it for us.
John 15:13 states "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Christ gave His life for his enemies which is beyond comprehension.
It is great to enjoy the liberties in America but are you enjoying the liberties that Christ offers?
